Lack of respect: Piers Morgan reveals why Cristiano Ronaldo walked out on Portugal
Piers Morgan has lifted the lid on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal exit
Cristiano Ronaldo’s premature exit from the Portugal national team camp during their UEFA Nations League campaign has dominated the headlines. The veteran forward left the squad under acrimonious circumstances after a public row with head coach Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo started Portugal’s match against Wales but failed to make an impact. He was then an unused substitute during the next clash against Norway. This is despite coach Jorge Jesus having asked him to warm up in the second half.
The Portuguese head coach then delivered a fiery press conference in which he dismissed any notion that Ronaldo’s international career was over, but stressed that team selection remained solely his concern.
Following this, Ronaldo left the national team camp aboard his private jet. Recent reports indicate that the forward has decided against returning to the Portugal national team setup as long as Jesus remains in charge.
Piers Morgan reveals Ronaldo-Jesus row details
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Journalist Piers Morgan has now revealed insider details regarding what exactly went down between Ronaldo and Jesus during the September-October international break. The TalkTV host claimed that the dispute stemmed from what he termed “broken promises” on the part of the Portuguese head coach.
Speaking on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored, the British journalist revealed that Ronaldo was promised that he would play Portugal’s first two matches and then be rested for the next two. However, he was withdrawn before completing 90 minutes against Wales.
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo rules out Portugal return while Jorge Jesus remains manager – Report
This upset Ronaldo and reportedly led to Jesus apologising to the veteran player and Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proença. Jesus reportedly promised to explain publicly that Ronaldo should not have been substituted early.
Instead, the head coach went public with his comments, in which he defended his authority to select the starting XI and utilise the players the way he saw fit.
Morgan revealed that this did not go down well with Ronaldo. The journalist compared the situation with Erik ten Hag’s treatment of Ronaldo during his time as Manchester United head coach, which led to the latter terminating his Red Devils contract.
“It’s nothing to do with money, fame or any of those things. He was given absolute guarantees about how he (Ronaldo) would be used,” Morgan said. “It’s one of the reasons he decided to continue his international career. The new guy, Jorge Jesus, said, right, here’s what I want you to do.”
“They agreed he would play the first two games and then be rested for the next two,” he continued. “In the first game, he was told he would get 90 minutes. This is manager to player – it’s important to remember the stature of the player we’re talking about – and he gets yanked after 67 minutes, so he’s a bit pissed off.”
“The coach apologised to him and repeated that apology to the president and said he would go out and explain this shouldn’t have happened,” Morgan added. “What he does is the opposite and pulls a Ten Hag.”
“He goes out and tries to belittle and embarrass Ronaldo, put him back in his box, say all the players are important to me blah, blah, blah, which also pisses off Ronaldo.”
Norway snub triggers Ronaldo
According to Morgan, Jesus promised Ronaldo that he would play at least half an hour of football during the UEFA Nations League match against Norway. The veteran forward accepted the compromise and warmed up but was never brought on.
This snub was reportedly behind Ronaldo’s walkout from the national team camp. The player himself has promised to reveal the reasons behind his national team exit at a later date.
“Then he (Jesus) goes to Ronaldo and says, ‘I know we would rest you the second two games, but I want you for 30 minutes against Norway, and he goes, ‘Okay, if that’s what you want, I’ll do it,’” Morgan continued.
“That’s good of him because he agreed (to) different things, and then he warms up for 25 minutes but never gets on the pitch, so he’s annoyed at the lack of respect and the going back on his word.”
“For him (Ronaldo), it’s a question of respect. Being promised one thing and the opposite happening, warming up and not being used, which he felt was very disrespectful, and eventually he said f*** you and got on a plane and left,” the journalist added.
“And his argument is (that) this coach kept going out in press conferences and saying the opposite to what he was saying behind the scenes.”
Morgan also revealed that Ronaldo does not believe that he should automatically start every match for Portugal, considering he is now 41 years old. With time not on his side and the tiff with Jesus nowhere close to being resolved, it remains unlikely that Ronaldo will ever play another match in a Portugal jersey.
Why did Cristiano Ronaldo leave the Portugal team camp?
Ronaldo reportedly left the Portugal camp after a dispute with Jorge Jesus over broken promises about his playing time.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo play for Portugal again?
Ronaldo has indicated that he will reveal the reasons for his Portugal exit later. Meanwhile, reports suggest his return is unlikely while Jorge Jesus remains head coach.
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